a joint u.n. afghan base. it happened in eastern afghanistan. there are no immediate reports of any casualties. the taliban is claiming responsibility for the attack. joining me now by phone from kabul is journalist ben farmer. ben, the attack is being described as, quote, complex. can you walk us through what happened? >> well, it does seem to be complex and ambitious. it began at about 6:00 local time this morning, just after dawn. it began with two suicide car bomb attacks, attacking the gate of the airfield. the vehicles were packed with explosives and driven towards the gate and detonated. followed a wave of suicide attackers armed with assault rifles, some also wearing suicide vests. they started to attack the gate guards and guards on the walls. it was a two-hour fire fight. during that fire fight,

helicopters took off from the airfield to join in the battle to fire down on the attackers. the fire fight took about two hours, at the end of which all the attackers were dead. we believe there were about nine in total, including those in the suicide car bombs. now, the coalition here has said none of the attackers managed to breach the walls and get inside the base. >> officials say these three afghan soldiers and two civilians were killed on this base, which is located in an area that nato recently turned over to afghan forces for security. how could this affect security, do you think, moving forward? >> well, it's handover security that everyone's looking at. the strategy is we build up the afghan army and the afghan takes over combat duties and that allows all the nato troops and british troops and american troops to go home. this attack shows that despite

nato saying they reversed the momentum, the taliban is still more than capable of attacking these big bases, launching well-coordinated, ambitious attacks like this. does this mean that the strategy will change? i don't think so. this hand over of security duties has been going on for two years now. it's really the main focus of everything being done here. coalition doesn't have a plan "" "b." what this attack shows is after things are handed over, they're going to be handed over to afghan forces who have to continue to fight. certainly after we go home, the afghans will look like they'll still have to fight a lot . >> ben farmer in afghanistan. thank you. just seven hours from now, the kansas city chiefs will play the carolina panther, the team deciding not to reschedule the game after linebacker jovan belcher shot his girlfriend in front of her mother and then driving to the training facility

where he shot himself in front of the coach and general manager. casey wine is in kansas city for us this morning. local media report the two had a fight after a concert friday night. what do you know about that? >> reporter: we don't know much about the concert that the kansas city star is reporting about. we do know police say there was some sort of argument either late friday night or early saturday morning before this tragic -- these two tragic shootings happened. we spoke last night with a next door neighbor of jovan belcher and of his girlfriend. they had been living in that house for about a year, the neighbor told us. the neighbor did not want us to use his name. he said that the two appeared to have been getting along very, very well. they had a baby just three months ago, born on september 11th. they were both proud parents, very happy by all outward appearances. the neighbor tells us that he heard no fighting overnight. he was up at the time of the

shooting, when the girlfriend was shot. he said he heard noises, didn't immediately identify them as gunshots because it's not something they hear in that neighborhood. it's a very nice, upper middle class type neighborhood. he said that he then looked outside and saw jovan outside of his front door pacing back and forth talking to himself. he then got in his car and drove away and apparently drove here to the chiefs training facility where he shot and killed himself just a little while later. >> so it sounds like they had a pretty good relationship and hadn't turned violent before. we know that he spoke with his coaches before he shot himself. do we know what they talked about? >> reporter: we don't know what spifically they talked about. we do know that police say that head coach romeo crennel and the general manager of the chiefs, scott pioli, both said they never felt like they were in danger. apparently they were trying to

talk him out of harming himself. we spoke with jovan belcher's agent last night, who is also the agent for the kansas city chiefs' head coach. he said he spoke with the general manager last night very, very briefly. of course, these men are distraught about what happened. he said they will press on. they're both strong men. absolutely shocked, though, the agent said who knew jovan belcher for a long time. back into the years when he just got out of college in maine. he said he was a very strong family man, had a close relationship with his family. he said he wasn't the type of agent who speaks with his players all the time, but he gave us a story about how jovan was such a caring person. he said during hurricane sandy, the agent lives in connecticut, jovan texted him to make sure the agent's family was doing all right in the hurricane. he said it's absolutely out of character for something like this to happen.

no previous run-ins with the law that anyone's aware of. so just a lot of shock here, randi. >> and the child, the couple's child, that child was home at the time, right? who is caring for that child now? >> reporter: yeah, the child was at the home with kasandra perkins and jovan at the time of the shooting. his mother was actually, according to the neighbor, his mother had actually been in town for a couple of weeks for the holidays, and we understand that the child and the mother witnessed the shooting, called 911 after belcher shot kasandra perkins and she is now with the child at another location. they, of course, are away from the home now. >> what a tragedy. casey wein, our thanks to you. appreciate that. the kansas city chiefs released a statement following the incident. it reads in part, the entire chiefs family is deeply saddened by today's event, and our hearts

are heavy for the people affected. we will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and work to ensure that the appropriate counseling resources are available. it's been a month since superstorm sandy ripped through the northeast, but it seems like an eternity for residents trying to clean up. our national correspondent susan candiotti traveled to staten island to see if a fema-backed program is really working. >> if we were here when the storm had ended, everybody here would be under water standing straight up. >> reporter: weeks after superstorm sandy flooded his basement, robert is one of the first 150 homeowners getting his home fixed as part of a rapid repairs program run by the city and mainly funded by fema. the repairs aren't fancy, just a basic fix to restore electricity, heat, and hot water to make homes livable.

thousands wait in the wings, hoping for similar repairs. at a town hall meeting, frustration was everywhere. >> we are extremely, extremely frustrated. this is what you need to understand. >> how do you think the program is going so far? >> i think so far the program is going well. >> reporter: but new york city deputy mayor cass holloway is well aware emotions are high. >> some of these frustrations go beyond the fact that a repair person maybe isn't showing up as fast as they want them to. i think it has to do with the magnitude of what people have been through. it's a lot. >> reporter: new york officials say they have thousands of contractors and supplies beginning to deploy with hopes of repair manageriring 200 home. >> we're just going to take work from them and give it to the best performing contractors. >> reporter: fema hopes the rapid repairs program, something new for the agency, will turn frustration around. >> government agencies don't change fast. we changed on a dime on this one

to do things that have never been done before. >> how would you sum up what happened at that town hall meeting? >> nobody knows what they were doing. they have no idea what to do. they're learning as they go along. that's why people were so angry. >> the storm causes the anger, okay. we're used to that. what we want to do is get past the anger to solutions and that's what we're working with people to do. >> reporter: with his power restored, robert is feeling better. >> you're satisfied? >> yes. >> you think they did a good job? >> yes, for a big city of 8 million people and you got service within a couple of days to a week, that's fast. >> reporter: as the rapid repair program enters its second week and contractors fan out, officials hope more homeowners will be as satisfied as in the weeks to come. randi. >> susan candiotti, thank you. well, then there were two. this weekend alabama rolled over the georgia bulldogs 32-28 to

earn a spot against undefeated notre dame in a big-time battle for the coveted bcs title. the crimson tide looking to win back-to-back titles and their third title in four years, which would be an unprecedented achievement. if you thought the campaign season was over, you'd be wrong. politicians are taking a cue from november's playbook to get their message out about the fiscal cliff. and a highway tunnel comes crashing down while cars are inside, igniting a fire. several people may still be trapped. [ gordon ] for some this line is a convenience. how you doing today? i'm good thanks. how are you? i'm good. [ gordon ] but for others, it's all they can afford. every day nearly nine million older americans don't have enough to eat. anything else? no, not today. join me, aarp, and aarp foundation in the drive to end hunger by visiting drivetoendhunger.org.

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get selsun blue for itchy dry scalp. strong itch-fighters target scalp itch while 5 moisturizers leave hair healthy. selsun blue. got a clue? get the blue. good morning, new york city. glad you're with us this morning for "early start weekend." very early. still a very dark morning there in the big apple. dplad you're watching. this morning, former president george h.w. bush remains in stable condition in a houston hospital. he's been treated for bronchitis. he's been if the hospital for more than a week now. at 88, the world war ii veteran is the oldest living former president. the supreme court could decide this week whether to take up the controversial issue of same-sex marriage. the nine justices met behind closed doors on friday but took no action.

the high court could act tomorrow when it's scheduled to release orders, or the justices may choose to discuss the issue when they meet for another scheduled conference on friday. we're now just one month away until the fiscal cliff deadline. and while the deal will actually be made in washington, politicians are taking their message on the road and straight to the voters. cnn political editor paul steinhouser has more. >> good morning. the presidential election may be fading into the rearview mirror, but it feels a lot like campaign season. >> i'm already missing the time that i spent on the campaign visiting towns like this and talking to folks like you. >> we love you. >> i love you back. >> the president speaking at a cam tpaign style event in philadelphia, pushing to avert the fiscal cliff. house republicans hours before the president's trip push back against mr. obama's plans in their own campaign style video. >> this notion of $250,000 being

top 2% or the wealthy people in america ignores the way most small businesses work in america. >> this political fight is over policy, but if you weren't paying attention, you'd swear the presidential election was still going on. while the fiscal cliff battle plays out, campaign politics marches on. >> i want to help create a better united states. >> we're less than a month removed from the 2012 election, but former south dakota governor mike rounds is already looking ahead to 2014, announcing a bid for the sfath. >> i'll be out visiting in a lot of communities around south dakota. >> and he was the second republican to do that this past week. joining congresswoman shelly moore of west virginia. while 2014 is a long way away, 2013 is just over the horizon. that's when new jersey's chris christie is up for re-election and the tough-talking republican governor's making clear he wants another term in office to help his state recover from superstorm sandy.

>> i don't want to leave now. we have a job to do. that job won't be finished by next year. >> it may be the holiday season, but it seems there's no holiday from campaign politics. randi. >> paul, thank you. and a programming note, treasury secretary tim geithner talks with cnn's candy ycrowley. debris comes crashing down on cars in a tunnel. more on the search for survivors. they see more than themselves. so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all.

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11 years ago. hard to believe. protests overshadowing this weekend's swearing in of mexico's new president. demonstrators clashed with police outside the congress building as the new president took the oath of office. they're upset his party is back in power. inside the billing, mexico's new leader promised to return peace, prosperity, and security to the country which has been racked by killer drug violence. rescue efforts are under way in japan following a horrifying accident. a highway tunnel west of tokyo

collapsed, trapping cars inside and then sparking a fire. police say they have found several burned bodies in one vehicle. they're trying to get to at least two others trapped inside. it's not clear how many people may still be inside that tunnel. now to egypt. the country's high court has postponed a critical hearing on the controversial new draft constitution. this as thousands of president morsiremain camped in the streets. tell us what the high court was supposed to be hearing and why they're not meeting after all. >> reporter: well, this was a big development this morning in cairo. now it seems over the past 24 hours the momentum in this conflict seems to be shifting in favor of president morsi and his supporters and shifting away from the opposition factions behind us and the president's opponents.

this morning, egypt's top court was set to rule on the constitutionality of president morsi's decrees last week and the constitutionality of this special panel that drafted the constitution. they released a statement saying they canceled the hearing after pro-morsi demonstrators, supporters of the president, surrounded the courthouse. it's not clear if or when this hearing is going to be rescheduled, but now it seems the road is a little more clear. the stage is set for the president to get his way, for this nationwide referendum to take place on december 15th. opposition factions behind us say they've been squeezed out of this process. they're concerned that an islamist islam ist dominated government down the road could deny them rights. if people don't like it, randi, they can go out to the ballot boxes and vote no.

>> it soundsike that the judges in putting this off perhaps they don't feel safe. >> reporter: well, it was a tense situation this morning. there was a lot of morsi supporters surrounding the courthouse. in the statement they released, the initial statement, they didn't say why they cancelled it. they say they're going to release a subsequent statement with a reason why, but certainly some people are speculating that they were either afraid of going into the courthouse or simply couldn't because the entrances were blocked. >> and are we seeing any repeat today so far as far as you can tell of the anti-morsi protests? >> reporter: they're still out here. tents are still up, but the numbers seem to be dwindling. they've been out here for nearly a week and a half right now. it's going to be interesting to see what kind of staying power they have, if these recent developments are going to discourage them. clearly, the momentum seems to be shifting in favor of the

president now. >> reza, thank you very much for the update there. women at war. many are barred from parts of the military, but some are now suing for their right to fight. one servicewoman will tell me about her own struggles. and new york's governor wants billions of dollars in aid for his storm-hit state, and he's going to d.c. to get it. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. [ male announcer ] this december, remember -- what starts with adding a friend... ♪ ♪ ...could end with adding a close friend. ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is on, offering some of our best values of the year.

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visit progressive.com today. welcome back, everyone. thanks for starting your morning with us. a special welcome to our troops watching on the american forces network. i'm randi kaye. it's now just about half past the hour. the taliban is claiming speedometer this morning for a deadly attack on a joint u.s. afghan base. it happened in the eastern part of the country. five people were killed, 14 others wounded in the attack, which was launched by suicide bombers and a group of gunmen. nato recently turned over control of the region to afghan security forces. he made a name for himself as an internet pioneer, but now john mcafee is known for being a fugitive, wanted by police in. belize for questioning regarding the murder of his neighbor.

mcafee, who's maintained his innocence, has now emerged from hiding and is talking to our martin savage about his life on the run. >> are you afraid? >> wouldn't you be, sir? >> what have these weeks been like? it's been three weeks now. >> it hasn't been a lot of fun. i miss my prior life. much of it has been deprivation. no baths, poor food. here we're in bliss. hot showers, a stove. so we're fairly happy right now. >> how is this going to end? how do you see this coming to an end? >> i don't have a crystal ball. i'm going to continue to fight until something changes. >> you won't turn yourself in? >> i will not. >> it will either be that somehow you get away or the authorities come and get you. >> one of those two. get away doesn't mean leave the country. it means, number one, they'll find the murderer. number two, the people of this country, who are by and large terrified to speak out, will start speaking out and something

will change. but i will certainly not turn myself in, andly not quit fighting. >> mcafee and his neighbor got into a dispute after mcafee's dogs were poisoned. the neighbor was found shot to death shortly after that. miami police say two people are dead after a tour bus slammed into an overpass at miami's airport. they say the driver mistakenly drove on the lower level instead of a higher lane, which buses can clear. an 86-year-old and 56-year-old man were killed. a all other people on the bus were take tonight hospitals. new york governor andrew cuomo is heading to washington to drum up dollars for his storm-ravaged state. cuomo plans to rally congress for $42 billion in aid. he said new york desperately needs the aid in the wake of superstorm sandy. this as mayor michael bloomberg says he's not sure if using federal money to protect the city from storms that may only happen once a generation is really a good idea.

women banned from moving up in the military just because they are women. it's certainly not a new concept. >> there's a lot of people that don't want to see you finish. >> g.i. jane. why don't they just call her joan of ark? >> i'm trying to warn you. >> permission to get dressed, master chief. >> damn, that girl is good. >> demi moore in the 1997 release "g.i. jane." more than a decade later, women working in a male-dominated field is still an issue. they're argue against a long-standing policy that bans women from being assigned to certain positions strictly because of their gender. they're barred from more than 238,000 positions across the armed forces. earlier, i spoke with one of the plaintiffs, captain zoey badel. i asked her to speak to critics

to the fact that the military is moving toward women. >> those are welcome eps. we're glad to see this moving. however, there's still 238,000 jobs still closed to women. that's a lot. that's a lot more than the 14,000 that were hope. while we welcome the progress, we need to see this policy be taken away completely and give women an equal chance to compete in all areas. >> if you look at what happens happening if several other countries, women are allowed to serve in combat positions. israel, canada, new zealand, australia. do you think that helps change public perspective of the role of women? >> sure. well, it's not just in other countries. the fact is that we've been at war for ten years now, and women have been serving in afghanistan and in iraq throughout that whole period. women have performed extremely well in all of those environments. so i think even within our own country, there's plenty of evidence suggesting that women

are very capable of handle these jobs. >> you know, the military's official policy towards servicewomen goes back to 1994. that's when this rule was put in place. why do you think it hasn't been looked at? what more needs to be done? >> well, for a number of years, we weren't really actively at war, so people weren't really looking at it. while we were at war, people have been concerned about just fighting the fight and getting the job done. but personally, i am a little surprised that since we have been at war for ten years, people haven't looked more closely at this, haven't looked at the reality of what is going on on the ground in iraq and afghanistan and haven't been making more steps to move this away. so i think we're headed there now. better late than never, i suppose, but we need to see this happen here soon. >> in getting ready for this segment with you, we contacted the department of defense to get their comment on the lawsuit. they say they don't comment on pending litigation. i'm curious why leon panetta -- clearly these guidelines barring women from advancing to certain positions in the military were

in place well before he was appointed secretary of defense. he's the one who actually ordered the 14,000 positions to be opened up to women. so why him? >> that's just in his position of secretary of defense. we certainly have nothing personal against leon panetta. >> and hear more of my interview on my blog. cnn.com/randi. the cia may be getting competition in the espionage business. the pentagon plans to spend hundreds of additional spies overseas. according to the post, the pentagon is looking to overhaul the defense intelligence agency and create the defense clandestine service, which would be unprecedented in size. as many as 1600 so-called collectors would be scattered around the world. officials say the pentagon's top priorities are islamist militant groups in africa, weapons concerns in iran and north korea, and china's

military modernization. they are called unmanned drones, but these weapons of war still have a human at the controls. the pentagon wants to make sure that it stays that way. cnn pentagon correspondent chris lawrence reports on the battle to stop real-live terminators from taking to the skies. >> reporter: behind every missile, there's an actual human being, someone back at base remotely pulling the trigger. but the pentagon is preparing for the day when robots are capable of killing on their own. >> the machines, they're starting to take over. >> reporter: it conjures up images of "the terminator." >> if we uplink now, sky net will be in control of your military. >> you'll be in control of sky net, right? >> reporter: the pentagon just issued its first directive on autonomous weapons, forbidding the development of lethal weapons with no human control to minimize failures that could

lead to unintended engagements. >> that's a sterile term meaning harming innocent, killing the wrong target. zblg t >> reporter: the pentagon admits these weapons are still 20, 30 years away. >> why now? >> the thought was technology is dynamic, and we'd like to get out ahead of it. >> reporter: just this week, the navy tested its next generation drone, which could carry bombs and lands on an aircraft carrier with hardly any human control. the directive only applies to lethal systems. it still allows the military to develop autonomous spy planes. >> as we begin to approach the possibility of having machines select and engage targets, we want to be very careful not to cross that line without high-level policy review. >> reporter: human rights

watcher applauds the pentagon's move. >> we don't believe it solves the problem, however. >> reporter: so the group is calling for governments to ban autonomous weapons outright. bonnie points to syria and wonders what killer robots could do in a conflict like that. >> because the weapons are emotionless, they could serve as a perfect tool for a dictator who would not have to worry about the danger of a human soldier turning on him if ordered to fire on his own civilians. a robot would not do that. >> reporter: when you're talking about a weapon that doesn't have the capacity to feel any compassion for its victims, it opens up all kinds of ethical questions that the pentagon and really militaries around the world are going to have to grapple with over the next 20 years. chris lawrence, cnn, the pentagon. and we want to show you some live pictures now of abbas returning home to the west bank

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welcome back. 42 minutes past the hour now. so imagine this. p imagine traveling around the world pane doing it without ever getting on an airplane.

32-year-old british adventurer graham hughes did exactly that and in the process broke a world record, becoming the first person ever to visit every country in the world without flying. here now is our very own world traveler. good morning. you got on the phone with this guy. he's still on the road. where is he now? >> he was on the floor of a bus in kenya. he said that the bus was so crowded that he had to be on the floor. he had to travel 17 hours because he wants to be in his hometown of liverpool by christmas. he wants to create a world record. he said, it's so much easier to create your own guinness world record than to break someone else's. his whole thing was foot, bus, taxi, train, canoe. no planes, helicopters, and no hot air balloons. >> it certainly would have been easier. >> he went to south sudan, the

newest country on earth. >> how long is it taking him? >> around four years. 1,426 days. >> wow. >> so he's ending now and will be home hopefully for christmas. >> i'm just curious how he's paying for all this. this can get expensive, even without the airline tickets. >> exactly. he's doing it in association with a charity in britain called water aid. that's the one part of the funding. he also says he's doing it for less than $100 a week. water aid is fascinating. they really highlight the issue of what happens with contaminated water. something like 11% of the world doesn't have sanitized water. 700,000 children a year die of disease related to unsanitary water. in conjunction with water aid it's part of his sponsorship. >> he's really raising awareness. >> absolutely. >> that's great. was there any surprise? i mean, all these places he's visited, is there a special spot or a big surprise he came across? >> when i spoke to him, i said, graham, what was the most surprising place?

you may be surprised when you hear what it was. >> all right. let's listen. >> the most surprising country for me was iran. i was expecting it to be very conservative, not very joyful. a bit like syria or jordan or saudi arabia. but it wasn't. it was actually a really friendly and incredibly hospitable country in which you can walk down the street with people offering to make food for you or give you somewhere to stay for the night. i spoke to a lot of people who travel and got the same experien experience. >> that is really surprising. >> iran on vacation. >> he sounds like a real adventurer. >> and he says next for him -- >> i mean, how do you top this? >> he says he wants to walk the south pole like a penguin. he says that hasn't been done. >> what? oh, my. >> i know. but he also says he's never been to the west coast of america.

>> maybe he'll write a book about it. it would be an interesting read, i'm sure. >> exactly. >> i'm kind of jealous. i still might want to take an airplane. >> i think it's not the last we would have hurt from the great adventurer graham hughes. >> you're absolutely right. thank you for bringing us that. well, it is almost here. our live broadcast of cnn heros, an all-star tribute. it's our annual salute to those who help make life better for those in need. chef bruno is one of our 2011 heros. he was honored for feeding hungry kids living in motels. now he's on a mission to help them move into their own homes. take a look at where he is now. >> every night, chef bruno serves free meals to 300 motel kids in anaheim, california. it's work he was honored for last year as a top ten cnn hero. >> it was the most amazing moment in my life. after the cnn show, a lot of

people call me. what can we do for you? >> but it was broou muno who wa to do more to help families living in area motels. >> when i send the kids back to the motel, i always had a very sad moment because i know where they go back. >> you guys can all share those markers. sit here and color. >> it's a hard life to escape. just ask the gutierrez family, who lived in a motel with their five children for more than a year. >> this is our living room/bedroom. me and my husband sleep here. the rest of them sleep sardine style on this bed. >> he got laid off. i started work just a month ago. it's really hard for us to save up to get into an actual home. >> i say, let's pay the first and last month. >> by providing rent and a deposit, bruno helps had fami s believe the motel life behind. working with a local nonprofit, 22 family have gotten a fresh start of their own.

>> the kids run around, exploerd, found their rooms. >> this is yours? >> thank you. >> my heart is really full of joy. we're putting back people to their own home. >> bruno hopes to move 74 more families by the end of next year. cnn here with a new recipe for helping others. >> should be a great event tonight. an announcement from the supreme court on whether it will hear cases on same-sex marriage could come as soon as this week. what you need to know about the next seven days right after this. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse.

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welcome back, everyone. it is the last month of 2012. hard to believe. it's time to get you ready for the week ahead. let's head to monday. it's a busy day at supreme court of the united states. we'll be awaiting a decision on whether the court will hear issues on same-sex marriage. of course, you can watch it all here as it happens on cnn. on tuesday, president obama is going to have some company. he's going to be meeting with the governors at the white house. he's going to be talking, of course, about money, how to keep our economy growing, and of course hopefully reduce the deficit as well. very busy day there at the white house.

on thursday, we have all our eyes on washington. two controversial changes in washington state, same-sex marriage becomes legal on thursday in washington state. we'll also be looking at marijuana. adults over 21 can legally carry up to an ounce of pot, sort of. the federal government still says pot is an illegal drug. that's how they're going to do it in washington on thursday. and on friday, we'll be watching for the jobs report. this is the november jobs report. in october, 171,000 jobs were add a added, you may recall. experts think superstorm sandy could affect this. a lot of people having a hard time getting around, power is out. really put a lot of folks behind. we'll see how that goes. on saturday, a big day for college football fans. heisman trophy winner will be announced. we'll find out who the best player in college football is. last year, can you remember who it is? nfl star robert griffin iii won the heisman. that's your week ahead.

well, his name was jordan davis, a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed at a florida gas station. it all happened after a dispute over loud music. now those closest to davis are saying good-bye as they struggle to understand why this happened. our george howell has the story. >> reporter: as family and friends laid 17-year-old jordan davis to rest, it's the reason for his death that has mourners here baffled. >> that was just terrible. that should never happen. >> the last time i spoke to him was thursday night on thanksgiving. and it's just all hard because i miss him so much. >> reporter: it happened november 23rd, 47-year-old michael dunn told investigators he felt threatened at a gas station, parked side by side with an suv full of teenagers. he complained they were playing their music too loud. detectives say dunn confronted

davis, who was in the backseat. dunn's attorney says his client thought he saw a gun, so he pulled his own weapon and started shooting, firing at least eight shots. davis was hit at least twice. investigators never found a gun in the teen's car. davis' father travelled from jacksonville to atlanta for his son's funeral. it's a case that's gotten national attention and has been compared by some to the fatal shooting of another african-american teen, trayvon martin, killed by admitted gunman george zimmerman. but unlike martin's parents, ron davis tells me he does not believe race played factor in his son's death. >> i don't think -- it just happened to be an african-american child and a non-african-american person that pulled the trigger. i think that's the only comparison. i don't think the reason is the same. i think the reason for this gentleman was strictly anger and having the availability of a weapon. >> so your focus is on these guns. >> yes. >> your t-shirt even.

show us this. >> yes. it says "kill guns, not kids." so we have to kill these gun laws. law enforcement has been trained. their the only ones i feel that should have guns in public. >> reporter: police arrested dunn a day later at his home after he fled the scene. the shooting puts florida's controversial stand your ground laws back in the spotlight, a law ron davis is determined to change. >> i'm going to focus on getting the weapons out of the hands that people haven't been trained to use. >> and dunn's attorney says she's still deciding which defense she will use should the case go to trial, adding that stand your ground is a possibility. our thanks to george howell for that report. we'll be right back. make a wish! i wish we could lie here forever. i wish this test drive was over, so we could head back to the dealership. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. test drive! but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back.

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s --lcaptions by vitace--ef. www.vitac.com there will be a public memorial service for dallas star larry hagman in texas today. the service will be held at j.r. ewing's south fork ranch. fans can take a tour of the grounds and attend the memorial. a private memorial took place yesterday in dallas. >> thanks for starting your morning with us. we have much more ahead on cnn sunday morning, which starts right now. from cnn world head quarters in atlanta, this is cnn sunday morning. a murder-suicide stuns the nfl. what made the kansas city chiefs linebacker kill his girlfriend and then take his own life? a new revelation about the smallest planet. why scientists are so hot for a chilling discovery. and tonight's the night we'll find out who will be the cnn hero of the year. one music star explains what inspires her